Polaroids
by ATrueBlueSky
Summary: SORRY FOR THE DELAY! Collection of one-shots and drabbles. Genre, characters and pairings will vary. Ch13: "It's too hot!" Olette just ignored him.
1. The Man Without a Memory

A/N: Hello, hello! This is your author speaking! First I would like to thank you all for choosing to read "Polaroid!" The fact that you have chosen my story to read means a lot to me. Like any author I love to hear from my readers, from flames to simple 'I like this' to in depth critiques, I'll take 'em all! So please, let me know what you think!

Second, I do NOT own Kingdom Hearts or have any control over it. I'm just a fanfiction writer! This is the only time I'll be making the disclaimer that I DON'T own Kingdom Hearts. I feel no need to make my point more then once.

Third and **MOST IMPORTANTLY (AKA READ THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH)** If there's an author's note at the TOP of the page THEN IT'S VERY VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU READ IT. It will most likely be telling you that I'm going on vacation or something and won't be able to update for a short while, but also might have other VERY IMPORTANT NEWS. If there's an author's note at the bottom, it will most likely contain my opinions on the piece or inspiration behind it that particular 'Picture,' as I will be calling them. I will also respond to any questions that you the review asks there.

Fourth AND ALSO IMPORTANT. I will be updating this story EVERY MONDAY AND THURSDAY. I'm hoping bi-weekly updates will help keep me on track as opposed to just forgetting about the story and never updating.

Without further ado, I give you the first installment of 'Polaroid!'

POLAROID

PICTURE ONE

"The Man Without A Memory"

"Hey mister! What's your name?"

He blinked.

"My… Name?"

The little girl giggled as she gazed up at the man. Golden locks splashed across the girls face, bangs grazing her pale green eyes. She was dressed simply- just a pale green shirt and pale yellow Capris, her feet bare besides the mud and dirt that coated them. Her hands were clasped behind her back as though she didn't know what else to do with them.

"Yeah, your name silly! Everyone has a name! My name is Elsey!" She gazed back up at him expectantly.

He stood there for another long moment, his brow furrowed. He sat down on the ground, legs crossed Indian style so that his head about the same level as the girl's.

"I don't remember."

She cocked her head, utterly confused at his statement. "What do you mean?"

The man pulled some grass from the ground. "I… Can't remember who I am, or where I came from." The man glanced up at her. "Is there a town near by? Maybe someone there will know who I am." He smiled at her hopefully. The girl nodded excitedly.

"Yup yup! It's called Twilight Town! It's the best place in the whole world!" she threw her arms out to prove her point, but quickly her expression sobered. "But you gotta be careful… My mom says that weird people have been showing up in funny cloaks and red outfits. But you're okay- cause your outfit is _blue_. I like blue a lot!"

The man stood up, quickly brushing the grass and dirt of off his white and blue pants as well as the edge of his darker blue tunic and white and black knee length vest. He glanced around the woods where they stood. He couldn't quite remember how he got there… Or anything before the little girl had shown up. Huh. All that he knew was that he had been standing their, waiting. He could feel his memories there, just barely out of reach. Suddenly one came to him.

"Edym. That's my name!" he exclaimed, excited to have remembered. The girl giggled.

"That's a funny name!" she said. The man pouted.

"No it isn't! It's a great name." he said, crossing his arms indignantly. Elsey giggled again.

"Anyways, we better go. I bet my mom would let you stay for dinner and everything!" She tugged on his sleeve and he obligingly crouched down so she could whisper in his ear. "She likes blondes men a lot." She giggled again and ruffled his hair.

"Hey!" He cried, but he was laughing too. He quickly ran his fingers through his mullet, fixing it immediately. "Well, shall we then?" he took her offered hand.

"Let's go!"


	2. When We Die

POLAROIDS

PICTURE TWO

"When We Die"

"Hey Riku?"

Riku glanced over at his somewhat younger companion, angling his head down so he could look at Sora's face instead of his gravity defying hair. They were sitting on the beach, watching the sun set through the ocean setting the water ablaze. The sky was streaked with soft pink and orange fire that turned the clouds into ruby dust. Warm, salty ocean air splashed across their faces, ruffling their clothes and sending Riku's silver hair flittering behind him like a banner.

"Yeah?" He shifted his head to look back at the ocean again. He liked looking at it. It was a constant thing, even as it shifted and changed like a living breathing thing. Growing, learning, _becoming-_

"What do you think happens to us… when we die?"

The azure-eyed boy was brought up short by the question. He glanced over at the younger boy for a mere moment and was surprised at the expression on Sora's face. It seemed calm, but you could tell he was truly worried; his eyebrows were furrowed ever so slightly and his fingers were twitching. Sora was hardly ever this serious- not even when he fought the heartless. He always smiled and always seemed optimistic. But not right now. Riku took a breath to say something, but Sora broke the silence again.

"I mean, if we don't go heartless and stuff. Where do our hearts go? Kingdom Hearts? The Door to Light? Or, or…" as he spoke he wove his hands through the air, creating invisible symbols as though to better illustrate his words. Riku shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess I've always thought everyone went to heaven. I'd like to be able to keep on existing even after I die."

Silence.

Sora smiled that goofy smile that was a conversation all of it's own and the world went back to the way it was supposed to be. Sora had no business trying to be overly serious and morbid.

"Yeah, that'd be cool."

Waves crept back and forth on the shore, reaching, ever reaching to try and touch their bare feet. The sun sank deeper into the horizon, turning the world a deep umber tinged with violet.

"Hey Riku?"

Riku glanced over at Sora again; hoping that he wasn't going to see another worried expression.

"Yeah?"

"Since Goofy's a dog, do you think he'll still get to go to heaven?"

(-)-(-)-(-)

A/N: That… Did not turn out the way I planned, haha. It was supposed to be a writing exercise for me to write about Man Hugs, but instead I got that. Curse you Sora and your silly nature! Freaking changed my story with his improvisation. And yeah, okay I KNOW I said I'd post on Mondays and Thursdays buuuut I'm impatient and I already have about 6 or 7 of these things written. I want to post them! So instead the schedule will be ALWAYS a post on Monday and Thursday, and possibly other posts on the other days. Like right now


	3. What Nobody Said

POLAROIDS

PICTURE THREE

"What Nobody Said"

Nobody entered that blindingly dull white room where Sora slept, slowly pulling together the memories that had been torn apart. The floor was cold and the air so rigid with silence that even the slightest sound seemed to shatter like glass against it. Entering that room was taboo- a taboo that seemed obvious to any who came near it.

Nobody came. Nobody broke the taboo.

Nobody dared to touch the surprisingly warm glass that sheltered and imprisoned the Keyblade Master. Frosted glass petals shielded him from view, but deep within Sora lay. Nobody knew.

Nobody pressed their lips to the glass.

"I love you," Nobody whispered. They had nothing to fear from saying so aloud. After all how could Somebody hear what was said by Nobody?


	4. Olette's Homework

POLAROIDS

PICTURE FOUR

"Olette's Homework"

Olette Hayes

Period 1 English

3 Limericks Assignment

There once was a boy in the town

Who styled his hair up like a crown

He wore it with pride

Till in it his canary did die

And now all that he does is frown

-

I once asked a boy to teach me to skate board

I thought if I learned I wouldn't be so bored

He said that he would

But now I don't think I could

Because I think I just purchased a surfboard

-

I sat next to my friend on the couch

(I was pouting because he was being a grouch)

But then he took his hand in mine

Which was really quite fine

But now I feel bad for stealing his munny pouch

* * *

Roxas stared at the sheet of homework in front of him, frozen in a state of semi-shock. The assignment had been to write three limericks without being crude and bawdy. He'd stolen the sheet in the hopes of getting some "ideas" from Olette. He quickly shoved the paper back into her bright yellow bag.

Straight A genius she may be, but poet she was not.


	5. Still Alive

POLAROIDS

PICTURE 5

"Still Alive"

Marluxia didn't care to recall the days of his past- the days when he was called Raluiam or Ral. The days when he could _feel_ things. They days when he could hate, laugh, cry, even _love_ without feeling as though it was all just an act he put on. Remembering made him feel empty. Hollow, hollow, hollow. Hollow chest, hollow heart, hollow mind, voice, and expression. Everything rang hollow like the dolling of a church bell at a beloved's funeral. It was a fitting phrase, seeing as none of them were really alive. They simply were.

Even as he plotted away with Larxene to take over Organization XIII, the smirks and lies were meaningless to him. Even the desire to get back his heart seemed a little pointless. How could he _want_ something if he couldn't feel the desire? He knew he should want to though, so he went ahead and schemed. But still it all rang hollow.

But all of that feeling went away in here. In his garden. In here he felt as close to being alive as he could. When he smirked it didn't feel wrong. When he laughed he could almost feel the bubbling sensation of happy emotions in his stomach. When he cried, he truly cried. And when he whispered that ever feared and ever longed for phrase 'I love you,' that taboo phrase that was meaningless most of all to them- he really meant it. He really did love.

Marluxia dug his bare, pale fingers into the soft earth of his garden. The damp smell drifted up and he inhaled deeply. He could feel (or perhaps sense was a better word) the roots of all the plants around him as they reached down, down, down into the soil ever searching. His lips twitched into a tiny smile. They were just like the Organization. Ever reaching, ever striving for something that they may never fully achieve. But they would always keep trying, until they reached their goal of being alive or died trying.

Zexion once mentioned that one of the laws, one of the deciding factors as to if something was alive or not, was if it could create more life. Was this not proof then? This, his garden, his WORLD? It was full of LIFE. It was ALIVE. It couldn't exist without him. Didn't that count for anything?

He pushed his hands deeper into the earth, closing his eyes and letting his power spread through the earth. Reaching. He could feel the very life of it all humming, shaking his very core. For a moment, Marluxia didn't have to reach anymore.

For a moment, here, in his garden, he was alive.

(-)-(-)-(-)

A/N: I thought this would be appropriate for today, seeing as it's Easter (you know... Plants... and stuff) and it's the eleventh, which is the number of our dear Marluxia. I actually wrote this a few days ago after I FINALLY heard Marly's voice for the first time in English. I'd always imagined him with a sort of feminine-esque voice, but it's all deep and manly! So I started to change my perception of Marluxia as a character, and then I had to wonder... Just why does he like plants so much? So I wrote myself an answer.

Oh, and HAPPY EASTER for any of you that celebrate it!


	6. Wherefore Art Thou?

POLAROIDS

PICTURE SIX

"Wherefore Art Thou?"

Many people enjoy the works of Shakespeare. Some people like the flowing lines and the ever rhythmic Iambic Pentameter. Others enjoy the timeless tales and epic plots and stories told. There are those still who like the raunchy undertones and the ancient meanings of Shakespeare's words.

Kairi Itoh is not one of those people. That is to say, she isn't anymore, at least.

She used to be a closet Shakespeare fan, quite literally in fact. She kept her stack of old, binding cracked books and piles of movie adaptations hidden in a box behind last years winter dress, far away from prying eyes (like Selphie's. There's no way she would touch an out of season dress).

On the nights when her father was staying late at work she would pull out one of the dog-eared books or put in one of the DVD's to watch. She drank in every last bit of it. She immersed herself completely during those long nights; she could feel Hamlet's hatred, she leapt to her feet with energy at the St. Crispin's speech, laughed as Rosaline half mocked Orlando behind coy smiles and a boy's disguise.

Yes, she truly did love Shakespeare, until one night she finally decided to re-watch _Romeo and Juliet_. That was the night that everything changed for Kairi.

To be honest, she much preferred his others plays to this piece (Romeo was FAR to impulsive for her taste) but she watched it anyways. It was the equivalent of eating spinach- she wasn't very fond of it but she did it anyways because it was good for her. And in any case it's not like she hated the play completely. She just really wanted to slap Romeo across the face half the time. Juliet too, now that she thought of it.

She put the DVD in and bound over to the couch, wrapping herself up in her favorite red and yellow plaid blanket and helping herself to some popcorn and Oreos. She loved indulging herself like this, rare as it was.

It didn't take long before she was utterly lost in the movie, completely ignoring (or rather forgetting) her plate of goodies. She didn't hear the phone when it rang either, or notice the shouts and music from the party down the street that she easily could have joined. No, _this _was all that mattered at the moment. Nothing could break her from the spell and remind her that she was only watching a movie. Nothing except-

"Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?"

It was as though someone had slapped her across the face. She sat there stunned and emotionally ripped of her semi-hypnotic state. She vaguely noticed that people were moving across the screen and that people were speaking but she paid it no mind. That single sentence, one so commonly quoted and so famous, echoed in her mind like the last refrain of a song. But this was so much more then just a repeated melody.

_Wherefore art thou?_

Those words were the trigger on the gun that brought her world into a sharp relief. Memories once forgotten brushed against her thoughts, barely skimming the surface like playful koi fish, toying with her, avoiding being captured and recalled.

A flicker of a memory- her eyes widened.

She remembered…. A boy. A boy she used to play with. She and Riku and the boy… They all used to play together, on the smaller island. They were friends. Best friends.

Then the moment was gone and Kairi was left with nothing but the faintest traces of her past.

Who was the boy? They were close, she remembered that much at least.

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet-"

His name… What was his name?

What did he look like?

When did he leave?

Why was he gone?

Where was he now?

Was he okay?

Did he remember her?

Questions circled through her mind, faster and faster in a jumble of confusion and self-doubt.

Why couldn't she remember him?

She felt sure, oh so very sure that he was important to her. He was her whole world, she felt sure of that, if nothing else. But she couldn't even remember him. It was all just the shadow of her real memories, if even that. A mere impression of what she once held so very dear to her heart.

Why had she forgotten?

Hot angry tears spilled down her cheeks. Why was she so _useless?!_ She had forgotten someone important to her, someone she loved. (She was quite sure she loved him, didn't she?) And now that she had started to remember, she couldn't even recall more then the fact that he existed! She could never get anything right! Not this, not her school work, not her life, not her work! Nothing! Nothing made sense!

Juliet spoke again, but her voice now irritated Kairi to the point of fury. She was mad- really mad. Mad at Juliet, mad at Shakespear, mad at that stupid movie, and most of all she was mad at herself for suddenly remembering this. She felt so confused! Her head was spinning and she felt dizzy, but stronger then that was the fact that she was just ANGRY. She turned off the TV, smashing down on the power button as hard as she could. That did little to satisfy her, so she threw the remote at the wall instead, leaving a dent and a loud 'thunk' sound in it's wake. The exertion felt good, so she picked up the couch pillows and hurled them at the wall too. There wasn't as much satisfaction in throwing those though, so she kicked them across to the other side of the room instead. That felt a little better. She had never really had to get so angry until now, so she didn't know what to do with all of this pent up fury. So she did what felt good, and that was throwing things. She reached down to grab her textbooks off of the table. Now _that_ was fun to throw.

By the time her father came home the once neat living room looked as though a hurricane had passed through, gone home, come back, left, and then came back once last time just for the heck of it. Items were strewn about the room haphazzardly. A vase lay shattered in the middle of the floor, and a few picture frames had fallen from their walls. Little of the floor could be seen under the debris. Kairi stood in the midst of it all, breathing heavily and clinging to the edge of the couch as though it was the only thing keeping her upright. Her knuckles were white from gripping the frame so hard.

"Kairi? Kairi, what happened here?!" Her father cried, a mix of worry and anger in his voice. That all turned to shock when Kairi turned her head to face her father. Her face was red and splotchy, eyes swollen from crying, makeup smudged and fading. The usually composed girl was an emotional wreck, her once smiling face now turned into an expression of horror and self-loathing, and perhaps even fear.

"I can't remember him." She whispered, so quietly her father couldn't even make out the words from a yard or so away.

"I can't remember him."

(-)-(-)-(-)

A/N: Yes, yes, I KNOW that 'wherefore art thou Romeo' actually means "Why are you Romeo," but I needed the first version more to fit the plot. Anywho, I wrote this because I hate how the game portrays her as such a total wimp- I think she's a lot stronger then that. Also, I hate how calm she is when she's talking to Selphie about Sora. To me it seemed like an act, you know? Anyways, I decided to write what I think really happened when she first remembered Sora. I'd imagine it'd be a more exaggerated version of the way Sora acted when he "remembered" Namine. She would have been more frustrated though, because while Sora knew he was supposed to be remembering stuff and would remember more soon, Kairi didn't have any such promise and thusly felt very lost and confused. I hope I portrayed that well. I promise, the next update on Thursday will be MUCH happier then the past few that I've posted. So much angst!


	7. Crimson and Saffron

POLAROIDS

PICTURE SEVEN

"Crimson and Saffron"

"Hey Cloud? Do you still have that old red tattered cloak thingy you used to wear?"

"Yes, why?"

"Can I have it?"

* * *

Yuffie buried her face into the crimson fabric in inhaled deeply. It smelled nothing like Cloud. Cloud smelled like wool and wood polish with a hint of mint and cloves. No, this was much better. This smelled like old leather and saffron and gunpowder. It smelled like him- the man from her memories. It had been so long since she'd seen him and so many of her memories of him had gone hazy, but she could still recall that onyx black hair and those deep red eyes. The way that his lips sometimes twitched in an amazing display of emotion and how that sent her heart racing at a faster pace then even the most difficult battles she'd been in had. How he put up with her, even at her worst. The way she loved him... She remembered that best.

So many of the others had come back- even Cloud had for a little while! But not him. He hadn't come home.

She inhaled again before looking up. The sky was a velvety blue, dusted with stars and dappled with indigo wisps of cloud. There were so many worlds out there, so many places where he could be. There had to be hundreds, thousands even. But she wasn't going to give up. Not ever.

"One way or another I'm gonna find you, Vincent." Yuffie muttered. "No matter what."

(-)-(-)-(-)

A/N: Originally I wasn't going to post this until next week, but I REALLY want for the one-shot I have planned for tomorrow to be the eighth. Care to take a guess why? xD Also, I have NO IDEA what saffron smells like, but google says it's kind of spicy, plus the name is cool. ...I just realized that this is actually the first chapter with a defined pairing (if it's one-sided or not is up to you though). Everything else has been super vague. Go me?


	8. Chaos in Rain

To be honest, Seifer hated the rain.

It had a tendency to ruin a lot of things, the rain. For one thing, whenever it rained he was often confined indoors and he hated that. He couldn't work out, fight, run, watch out for the town, bother the chicken wusses… Nothing. For another, when it rained in Twilight Town it didn't just rain- it came down in torrents that persisted for days on end. The sound just hammered on the rooftops, driving him insane with it's relentless sound. Third, he just hated being wet. Plus it made his hat smell funny.

All in all, the rain just totally sucked in Seifer's opinion. And sadly for Seifer today it was raining, just as it had been raining for the past few days.

Seifer and Fuu were currently sitting in the train station on one of the newly installed benches, waiting for their train to come and take them home after a long day of school. Normally Rai and Vivi would be hanging out with them, but Rai had had to stay after school for his tutoring session, and Vivi had been sick and stayed home that day, so it was just the loud blonde and the stoic iron haired girl.

Seifer had already removed the burgundy jacket, rolled up his leaves, untucked his shirt tails from his pants, and loosened his plaid tie. How he hated that uniform. It was little more then a symbol of the lameness of the school that resided a few miles away from Twilight Town. He found his normal coat and blue vest to be far superior to this trash pile of fabric some people called clothes, but he had been threatened with a week's worth of detention if he broke the dress code again. So until he could get home and change his mini-alteration would just have to do.

Fuu on the other hand hadn't done anything about her uniform, preferring to instead leave her own jacket on and her tie in place. In fact, everything about her was immaculate, from her neatly brushed hair to her plaid skirt to her shining black shoes. Seifer couldn't tell if she hadn't taken off her jacket because she was cold (which would be understandable, considering the fact that her skirt only went mid-thigh and her socks barely touched her knees) or because she couldn't be bothered, or because she just liked it. Not that it really mattered.

"I hate the rain." Seifer muttered as he stared at a large puddle at the edge of the platform as it rippled under the force of dozens of raindrops. He didn't really expect Fuu to say anything, quiet as she was and as random as his comment had been. A mere passing thought unworthy of reply. He was chaotic, and she was orderly. As such a being of order it made sense that she wouldn't answer. But Seifer had been wrong about the way things were before.

"Disagree." She said clearly, her one uncovered eye staring straight ahead at nothing. Or perhaps the rain. It didn't matter anyways.

Seifer glanced over at her from his lounging spot. "Is that so?"

Fuu nodded, raising her eyebrow in a manner that clearly stated 'Of course it is, I just told you didn't I?' Seifer chuckled at that. He had always been good at reading Fuu's expression and was able to even catch her unsaid sarcasm.

"And why is that?" he asked, curious.

Fuu said nothing, trying to find a word to best describe what she wanted to convey to Seifer.

"Refreshing." She finally decided on. Seifer blinked. Refreshing? How on earth was the rain refreshing? It didn't rain constantly in Twilight Town, but it wasn't exactly uncommon. He glanced around again, trying to figure out her meaning.

"You mean the grass and plants and stuff? I mean, I guess it does look greener then it did before. That's kinda cool." Seifer glanced away, hoping he didn't sound like a moron. Having respect meant a lot to him, and if_ Fuu_ lost her respect for him… He didn't know what he'd do.

"Yes." Fuu said, and he could hear a tiny smile in her voice. Letting out the breath he hadn't known he was holding he looked back at her.

"What else?" he asked. He knew there was more to it then that- there always was when it came to Fuu. She may have kept her appearance simple and her words as plain as possible, but she was a pretty deep person.

"Scent."

Seifer sniffed the air. Huh. He had never noticed it before- the way the air smelled cooler. Sharp and fresh, too, despite the fact that it was so humid. It was kinda nice.

"Sound."

Seifer had to draw a line there.

"I hate the sound the most. It drives me nuts! Just endless hammering!" he couldn't help but seethe a little- just thinking about it again started to make him mad.

Fuu shook her head. "Music."

Seifer frowned again. "And how the hell do you manage to hear music in this racket?"

She smiled and turned back to the rain. "Listen."

Seifer rolled his eyes and sighed a little, but he did what she said and tried to really listen to it. He shut his eyes to help him focus, leaning his head back and sinking farther down on the bench so his head rested on the top of the bench's backing.

For a couple minutes all he heard was that irritating hammering sound, drumming against his ears and mind relentlessly. Down and down it came with it's horrid little 'pita-pita-pita' sound on the ground. He had almost made up his mind to just open his eyes and start telling Fuu exactly what he thought of this lamer-like activity- but then he started noticing things about it.

The way that if he tilted his head slightly the pitch seemed to changed a little. The way that it sounded differently depending on what it hit, creating surprisingly different noises. How it wasn't just an endless sound, it came in varying waves of heavy and light rain. The rhythm of the rain wasn't just random like he'd always thought, it had a pattern to it. Chaotic in it's pattern but the routine was still there.

Chaos and order in one, in a strange sort of way. A frantic routine that had to be followed to the letter, even if the steps made no sense. Hell, even his thoughts weren't making sense now, even though they did. The sound didn't remind of hammers anymore. Something this astounding could never be compared to hammers. The sound was more like... More like-

The sound of the rain was like music.

He opened his eyes and glanced over at Fuu, who was staring at him. He turned back to the rain.

"Well damn. Guess you were right. Maybe the rain isn't so bad after all."

(-)-(-)-(-)

A/N: First of all, I am soooo sorry I didn't update last Thursday! I had an insane week so I decided to write it on Thursday but then I had just about the worst day I've had in a while, especially considering it was my freaking birthday. Plus, what I did write? Totally sucked. I'm STILL working on revising it. Anywho, to make up for it I'm going to update an extra chapter sometime this week as well as the one that was supposed to go up Thursday. Again, I'm really sorry, guys!

Secondly, yes I know. I totally botched Seifer. I cannot write him to save my life. Let's just pretend he acts differently around Fuu, okay? And ACK I suck at writing her too! She may not say a lot, but dang that just makes it harder!

Third, yes I KNOW this chapter was horrible! I wrote it while I was listening to the rain, and this just kind of... Spewed out. It was kinda supposed to be symbolic of how Seifer changed because of Fuu. He became less chaotic and more... Reasonable? Or maybe it's about how she is able to tolerate him and see the good in him. I dunno. Ignore me. It's like 1 AM here.

ALSO ALSO. What characters would you like me to write about? I keep on coming up with ideas for the Organization, but I don't want to write just about them! I mean, I have ideas, but I wouldn't mind some suggestions. Translation: OH SNAP YOU GUYS HELP ME THINK OF CHARACTERS I SHOULD WRITE ABOUT!11!1one!


	9. The Price of Peace

POLAROIDS

PICTURE NINE

"The Price of Peace"

"AHH!"

Selphie's eyes snapped open and she sat up, her heart pounding as she looked around the room quickly, scanning around for movement, her hand already wrapping around her nunchaku that she kept by her at all times now. She whipped them out as she stood on her bed, ready to take on her enemies-

But there was nothing there. Again.

She fell to her knees before leaning back against her headboard, taking a few deep, shuddering breaths. Sweat trickled down her forehead and neck, making Selphie shiver. She let her weapon fall from her fingers and vaguely noted that now that she had nothing to hold her hands were trembling.

This was the third time she'd had that dream this week. The third time that she had woken up screaming, ready to fight an enemy that wasn't there. The dream wasn't always exactly the same, but it held the same basic structure. In every one of them she watched as dark creatures with amber eyes destroy the islands, ripping hearts out of people's chests and devouring them. Turning to _her_ and plunging their shadow tainted claws into her chest and killing her.

The heartless.

She shuddered just thinking of them.

That hadn't happened though- the last part about her dying anyways. She _had_ watched as they had torn her home apart from the inside out. She'd seen them attack her parents. She'd managed to fight them off for a little while with her jump rope and then just before one was about to actually get her there was this… Light. It seemed to be coming from so many different directions. The heartless- although at the time she had no idea what they were called- ran from the light, screeching as they went. To be honest Selphie thought that she had died after all and that the light was heaven. Then there was nothing.

What happened next was a bit of a mystery to her. Her memory from the time after the heartless came was patchy at best. She could remember the general parts, but the details of that year were lost to her. She did remember learning what the heartless were and what they did. She remembered getting her nunchaku from these three ducks. She remembered a boy named Irvine, and how he had saved her more times then she could count. She remembered learning about how Destiny Islands was just one of the thousands of worlds out there. How she traveled to some of the other worlds, looking for a way to save her own.

Learning about how Sora- dorky clutzy lazy Sora- was supposed to be able to save them all. That had been a total shock to her system. But it was true, crazy as it seemed.

But besides that everything was just a blur. Sometimes she couldn't even figure out if what she did remember wasn't just some crazy dream. But then she would look at the scar on her collar bone from a near miss with a heartless, see the marks and nicks on her nunchaku from her fights, feel that heart stopping fear when she thought of those dark creatures, and have to bear that horrible ache whenever she thought of Irvine and how much she missed him. There's no way she could make that up.

And then there was the matter of Kairi, Sora, and Riku. Sora and Riku had never returned the day that Destiny Islands were reformed and everyone came back. And Kairi… Kairi had never really been the same. She just always seemed so sad, and a little lost. Like her heart wasn't really here, but with her friends. It broke Selphie's heart to see her friend like that. She wanted to tell Kairi that she knew what it was like- but she couldn't. Every time she tried to tell her friend she would just freeze up. Maybe it was for the best that Kairi didn't know. But Selphie didn't really believe that.

Selphie sighed before she slid off of her bed and walked over to her window, lifting up the glass and sticking her torso out into the cool night air. She took a few deep breaths, smelling the salty ocean breeze and letting it soothe her frayed nerves. She stared up at the sky and smiled. She was glad to see those stars. It meant that everything was okay. No more heartless. No more fighting. No more people dying without their hearts, lost forever to the darkness.

But there was always a price she supposed. For peace, there was always a price.

Kairi had paid her peace of mind, always worrying about Sora and Riku.

Tidus and Wakka- who as far as Selphie knew had never left the island, but just vanished with it- had paid the price of lost time and with their current ignorance.

Squall, Aeris, Cid, and Yuffie had paid with their safety, comfort, and their whole world, lost to the darkness.

And Selphie? Selphie paid it with pain. Nightmares that haunted her sleep, scars that couldn't quite stop aching, and a heart that would always belong to a boy that she could never reach again.

There was always a price to pay.

(-)-(-)-(-)

A/N: I would like to thank you all for reading my story, and for coming back to read the new stuff! It means a lot to me. And thank you SO MUCH for the favs, alerts, and reviews! 3 It really makes my day when I get one of those!

I think I might have to just switch the schedule to once a week- I just can't keep up with two a week and still have the stories be decent. And I'm sorry this is a day late! ACK!

I wrote this because I honestly don't think that Sora, Kairi, and Riku could be the ONLY ones to have escaped the Islands. I mean REALLY. So here it is, Selphie's time to shine! I like the start, but the ending was a bit meh. Ah well. I'm seriously considering turning this concept into an entire story. What do you think? Does it sound like something you'd read? I wouldn't start it till summer though, so I could dedicate a lot of time to it.

REVIEW REPLIES:

RecklessxDreamer: Eee! I'm so glad you like it! It's so nice to hear from one of my readers, and I'm very happy to hear that what I'm writing is making sense! I hope that you will continue to enjoy my writing, and that my writing will be worthy of your praise.


	10. Shameless Addiction

POLAROIDS

PICTURE TEN

"Shameless Addiction"

Hayner's fingers drummed against the table nervously. He felt so jumpy; he just couldn't sit still. He wanted it- no, he _needed _it. He couldn't live without out it. If it were up to him he would never have to live with this horrible craving but… Olette found out about his addiction. And Olette had taken it from him. The precious bag he kept under the floorboards.

His fingers danced faster on the wood as he glared at the brunette across the room of the usual place. Why was she being so stubborn?! She knew he was broke, and she knew how much he needed it. He was seriously considering just fighting her for it. He needed some more NOW or he was going to explode. He could barely think straight, he was so focused on his need.

"Oleeettttteeee," he half whined, half begged. "Please! I need it!" Olette glared back.

"No way! I'm going to help you break this addiction." She said.

"But I don't want to break it! Olette, please! Please just a little more! One isn't enough!"

"No WAY! You can't just keep doing this to yourself-"

"I don't care! Please! Please Olette!" He leapt to his feet and walked over to where she sat before getting on his knees in front of her. "I am literally BEGGING you. Please, give me back my stash."

"No."

"Please!"

"No."

"For the love of all things holy in the world, I BEG OF YOU!"

"NO! Hayner, this is stupid! This isn't an addiction- this is just your mind telling you that you need more. It isn't a real need!"

"Yes it is! Just give me the bag!"

"Fine!" she snapped. She pulled the bag of pistachios from behind her chair and shoved into Hayner's chest. "I hope you get sick from eating so many!"

Hayner didn't bother listening and shoved a handful in his mouth. "Mmmm… Pistachios…"

(-)-(-)-(-)

A/N: I mean, really, have you ever seen someone just eat ONE pistachio? xD Inspired by my pistachio addicted dad and an NCIS commercial. I freaking love that show.

Reckless Dreamer: Aw, thank you! It makes me really happy that I was able to write something you enjoyed about a character you don't usually like. It makes me feel like a successful writer. :D


	11. Dandelion Wishes

POLAROIDS

PICTURE ELEVEN

"Dandelion Wishes"

"Hey Squall, look at this!" Yuffie shouted, sounding excited.

"First off it's Leon. Second, is it a Heartless or a Nobody?" he asked back, only raising his voice enough so Yuffie could hear him (unlike Yuffie who shouted at the tops of her lungs).

"No, but-"

"Then I'm not interested."

Yuffie pouted, tapping her foot angrily for a moment before grabbing what she had wanted to show him and stomped over to where the man stood.

"Here!" she said, shoving one of the two things in her hands into Squall's face. He leaned back a little so he could actually see it.

"You wanted to show me… Dandelions." Squall raised an eyebrow at her. Yuffie scowled at him.

"Not just ANY dandelions! See how they're all white and fuzzy and stuff? Those are the seeds. If you can blow them all off the stem in one go, then your wish will come true! But you gotta make the wish first." Yuffie grinned at him and handed him the dandelion. Reluctantly he took it from her, holding it gingerly between two fingers. Yuffie held out her own dandelion a little bit away from her face. She glanced at him and sighed exasperated at the expression on his face.

"Well? Are you going to make a wish or not? Because if you're not then I'd like my dandelion back please. Do you even know how long it took me to _find_ these? I don't know how she did it, but somehow Aeirth has just magicked away all the weeds. I mean, she didn't even use weed killer! One really has to wonder-"

"Could you shut up for a second? I'm trying to make my wish." Squall said with a scowl. Yuffie immediately shut her mouth, instead using it to grin her 'I'm the Great Ninja Yuffie and I just WON AHAHAHAHA' grin. It was an annoying grin to say the least.

Squall stared at the dandelion for a moment before taking a deep breath and blowing. At once all of the seeds flew into the air and spiraled away on a passing breeze, starting their long journey to their new home. Squall looked over at Yuffie, who was still grinning.

"So whaddya wish for?" she asked excitedly. Squall smirked.

"I wished you would shut up." This was a lie of course, but it was worth the look on her face.

"You jerk!" she screeched, slapping his arm. He winced a little- he had forgotten how strong she was. She gave him the evil eye for a moment before turning to her dandelion. She too took a long moment before inhaling and blowing the seeds off of her dandelion. Instead of a graceful spiral they exploded in all directions- including right into Squall's face and hair.

Yuffie smirked at Squall. "Opps!" She laughed and skipped out of his range. Squall just sighed and brushed the seeds off. Yuffie watched from a careful distance.

"Don't you wanna know what I wished for?" she asked him as he plucked a stray dandelion seed from his jacket.

"Not really."

"Well I'm going to tell you anyways!" she said with another patented Yuffie grins. Squall did his best to ignore her. It didn't work very well.

"Fine then. What did you wish for?" Squall didn't really care, but he hoped that maybe if he asked Yuffie wouldn't be so annoying about it.

"The same thing as you did." Yuffie replied, suddenly somber, although a small smile was still on her face.

Squall glanced up at her.

"For things to be the way they used to be. Back when you didn't mind calling you Squall. Before the heartless and the fighting. Back when we could all smile and be happy, together. All of us.

"I want for them to come home."

(-)-(-)-(-)

A/N: Arrg! What is with me and making these all so SRS BSNS? This was SUPPOSED to be all light hearted and silly, but then YUFFIE of all people just ruined it for me. She's supposed to be all… Not serious. Ack. By "them" Yuffie means Rinoa and Vincent, but you can take it as you like. Maybe she just means their other friends? How should I know, I'm just the author! xD I got inspired by this on the walk home from school last this week. All the dandelions are in bloom and I made a few of my own wishes. It was fun.


	12. A Step Behind

POLAROIDS

CHAPTER TWELVE

"A Step Behind"

(song inspiration: Drag by Placebo)

At age 7, Sora was always a step behind Riku when it came to fighting. Despite the training his dad had given him, Sora could never win against the silver haired boy. They may have been best friends, but they were also intense rivals. Riku was good at everything- he could write really neatly, he could already fight, he was always really polite to adults. Everyone loved Riku.

Sora… Not so much. His hand writing was a mere scribble, his clumsy nature prevented him from fighting well, and his obliviousness got him into a lot of trouble with adults. It wasn't that he was being rude on purpose- he honestly thought he was saying the right thing. It just came out in a way that offended pretty much everyone around him.

Sora was just a tiny bit behind.

* * *

At age 11, Sora was always a step behind Riku when it came to school work. Riku aced all of his tests without so much as a night of studying. The teachers loved how well behaved he was (or at least how well behaved he seemed). He quickly made many friends with the other students and became the most popular kid in school.

Unlike Riku, Sora did poorly in school. He spent hours studying only to fail his tests. He couldn't focus in class and spent a lot of his time drawing in the corners of his papers, much to his teachers dislike. He had a hard time talking to the other kids, and only had a few other friends beside Riku and Kairi. Kids called him a dork behind his back, despite how kind he was to them.

Sora was just a little behind.

* * *

At age 13, Sora was always a step behind Riku when it came to flirting with Kairi. Well, he didn't really know it was flirting, but he knew that Kairi gave him butterflies and he stammered and blushed and that meant he LIKED her. So he tried in his clumsy way to make her like him back. It didn't turn out so well.

The peanut butter sandwich he made her was a disaster- she was allergic to peanut butter. The card he tried to make her was totally ruined when he glued it to his desk. Any attempts at 'smooth' talking with her turned into awkward talks with lots of blushing, stammering, and pausing on his part while Kairi looked at him in confusion.

Riku on the other hand crafted a perfect Valentines Day card that made Kairi blush and kiss Riku on the cheek. He gave her his turkey sandwich when she forgot her lunch money- she loved turkey (and Sora found it odd that Riku had that sandwich since Riku hated turkey). He was able to talk to Kairi easily without any awkwardness at all. In fact she laughed and blushed when Riku flirted.

Sora was just kinda behind.

* * *

At age 14 Sora was always a step behind Riku when it came to finding the person he loved most in the world- Kairi. He traveled across the universe, doing everything in his power to find the violet eyed girl. But Riku found her first… And he wanted to use her heart for something wrong. Something horrid and evil.

He couldn't even count himself worthy to save her. His weapon and his friends were taken from him by Riku. Riku always was better.

Sora was falling further behind.

* * *

At age 16 Sora was finally home. He was home with his friends, and his ordeal was over. He smiled at Kairi and handed her the good luck charm he had kept safe for so long. She grinned at him.

"Welcome home."

Home… Sora had gotten them home, hadn't he? He had led the way. Not Riku.

And if he had led… Maybe he wasn't so far behind after all.

(-)-(-)-(-)

A/N: So I just had a super crappy week. I accidentally turned in a paper late, got my DS and iPod stolen, got hit by allergies AND a really bad cold at the same time (made worse when I stayed out late for a night time photoshoot), and I got in a fight with everyone in my family except my older brother. So lots of self angst. I ended up using a lot of my own feelings of self doubt and inferiority to my older sister as inspiration, as well as my recent discoveries of "Oh, maybe I'm not just a useless kid after all." The format was taken from a Shiki-centric fanfic (from TWEWY) that I recently read. It's really good. If you're interested in reading that, I'll send you a link.


	13. It's too hot!

POLAROIDS

PICTURE THIRTEEN

"It's too hot!"

"It's too hot!"

Olette didn't even bother opening her eyes to glance across the room at Hayner, instead choosing to sink even lower into the couch.

"Mm." she hummed. What he said was true- it had been over 100 degrees for the past 3 days. She didn't know why they weren't hanging out at Hayner's house, or Pence's. They both had working AC's. Normally they would hang out at her house during such hot weather, but her air conditioning was broken (not to mention the fact that her room was in the attic. The lack of cool air had turned her haven into a boiling inferno- so really just sitting out here was bliss in comparison), which _obviously_ meant that they had to hang out here in the usual spot and _not_ a place with air conditioning. Which led to Hayner's complaints.

"Let's get some ice cream then."

"We're broke, remember Pence? You blew all of our money on that new video game."

"Oh, like you didn't help me pick it out?"

Olette ignored them.

"Oleeeeetteeeee! Make Hayner admit he helped me waste all of our money on a video game!"

"Hayner, play nice."

"I don't see why I should admit to anything."

"You should because it's TRUE!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. You need to work on that lying problem you have, Pence."

Olette's eye twitched. She was very tired- she couldn't have gotten more then 2 or 3 hours of sleep last night, tossing and turning on her stiff mattress, wishing desperately that a breeze would come through her open windows (it hadn't). She just wanted a 15 minute nap. Was that really too much to ask for? Just 15 minutes of quiet?

"Me? LYING? HA. That's rich, coming from you."

"What's THAT supposed to mean?!"

Her eye twitched again.

"You always lie to teachers about your homework, and to your parents about your grades! You lie to people about what you're doing, you lie to Seifer about your skills to make yourself sound more impressive-"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!"

If they didn't pipe down RIGHT NOW-

"And MOST of all, you lie about liking Ol-"

"I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU TWO MORONS DON'T SHUT UP RIGHT NOW I'M STICKING YOUR STRUGGLE BATS SOMEWHERE NOTHING WAS MEANT TO BE STUCK!" Olette shouted, finally opening her eyes to glare at the blonde haired boy and the brunette. They both froze, looks of pure terror on their faces (and Hayner's face was red from blushing, but Olette didn't notice).

After a moment, Olette leaned back in the chair and shut her eyes. "_Thank you_." She said sarcastically "Now if you could both just STAY like that for 15 minutes, I won't be forced to take drastic measures."

Silence. Pure wonderful silence. Amazing blissful silence.

"It's still too hot."

"HAYNEERRR!"

"H-hey! What are you doing with my struggle bat?! I DIDN'T THINK YOU WERE SERIOUS! PENCE HELP ME!"

"You're on your own man."

"AAAAHHHH!"

(-)-(-)-(-)

A/N: ;__; I am so, SO, very sorry about my lack of updates this past while. My life has gotten very complicated, and there's been some conflict with my family that I had to sort out. BUT! Now life is normal again so the updates will be back on schedule. I'll try and update again either later today or tomorrow to make up for my dry spell. Again, I'm really sorry! (And Courtney, STOP SHAKING MY CHAIR! D It won't make me post faster!)


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